


Balm

by Wrenlet



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-12-21
Updated: 2003-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-03 13:38:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wrenlet/pseuds/Wrenlet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin's had his walk. (Post-season three, sequel to <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/18303">Dream of This</a>.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balm

By the time Justin gets back, the kitchen is clean. _Really_ clean, Brian-clean, and he thinks at first that maybe Brian threw everything away, except the pad of their grocery list is lying on the counter and it's got twice as many things on it as it had the last time Justin looked.

Brian's awake, still, and sitting at his computer, and the loft is so quiet that even the low purring of the scroll wheel on his mouse seems loud. He pages through the document on the screen with it, up and down, again and again and Justin knows he can't possibly be reading whatever it is, he probably isn't even really looking at it. It's the closest Brian ever gets to meditative, but Justin knows better than to say so. He strips his jacket off and goes to toss it onto a bar stool, and looks over at the shopping list.

"Lamb, huh?"

"Yeah. Sounded good."

"Guess fatted calf is a little hard to come by in the Pitts."

The scrolling stops, and the quiet timbre of Brian's voice reminds Justin how tired he must be. How tired they both are. "You just went for a walk, Justin."

"I know." Brian's right, even if it did sort of feel like... more. Justin doesn't think he can quite describe it, the noisy whirl in his head and the thudding of his feet against the sidewalk. How the one slowly drove the other out until he'd felt it was time to come home, and did. So he doesn't even try, and instead he crosses the empty space to Brian's desk, stands next to his chair and quietly says, "Show me?"

Brian tabs to the browser window, still open, and leans aside a bit so Justin can read the screen.

"That does look good. Makes a lot, though, we should take some to Debbie."

Brian snorts. "You're the one who chopped all the carrots. I said we didn't need that many when you bought 'em."

Justin hmms, and nods. Brian doesn't ask -- and he won't, because Brian just doesn't ask certain things -- so Justin tells him anyway. "I'm still mad. A little. I'll get over it."

It's Brian's turn to nod, and then he busies himself with bookmarking the recipe and closing the browser and shutting other programs down and maybe _shutting_ down, and Justin decides he needs for Brian not to do that.

He lays his hand on the back of the desk chair and swivels it until Brian is facing him, then lifts his leg and plants his foot on the seat between Brian's jean-clad thighs. Brian doesn't say anything, just shifts back in the chair the tiniest fraction, but it's enough that Justin notices it and thinks if he wasn't so tired he might laugh. It's not that Brian's _afraid_ of him, he knows that much, but Justin also knows he's been a little... unpredictable tonight. Even for him, and that's saying something. It's like a talent he has, or a gift, the way he sometimes does things that take Brian completely by surprise. He doesn't even have to work at it. He can tell Brian hasn't got a clue what he's doing _now_, either, so Justin helpfully reminds him, "I banged my knee."

Brian raises one eyebrow in a silent, 'And?' so Justin wiggles his leg a little, waving said knee in front of Brian's face.

"Kiss it."

Brian huffs quietly, like this is such an affront to his dignity, but the line of his mouth is soft and his hand slides up the back of Justin's leg to cup the muscle there. He plants a soft, chaste kiss on the cloth over Justin's kneecap, and then just... breathes on it, warming cotton and the skin beneath it before turning his head and laying his left cheek against Justin's thigh. Justin sighs, and lets his hand drift down into Brian's hair and across his other cheek. It's not red, and it's not any warmer than the rest of Brian's skin, but Justin can feel the memory-tingle of the slap in the palm of his hand. He rubs a soft, apologetic circle with his thumb and feels the answering caress against his calf.

"Come to bed?"

Brian still doesn't speak, just nods under Justin's touch and switches off the monitor and unfolds from his chair in silence, but his hand finds Justin's and their fingers lace together as Justin tugs him across the loft and up the stairs. He doesn't say a word until after they've undressed each other and Justin is sort of leaning into Brian's body because he's there and warm and actually climbing into bed seems like way too much work, and Brian sighs against his hair and murmurs, "I didn't do it to hurt you."

"I know." And he does, but it's nice to hear it anyway so he kisses the edge of Brian's collarbone. Brian isn't any more inclined to separate and walk around the bed than he is, so they just sink onto the end of the mattress together and squirm their way up. Justin squirms, anyway, he's sure if asked Brian would say he was doing no such thing, despite the slide and hitch of skin on skin and skin on sheets that feels an awful lot like squirming and maybe a bit like foreplay. And Justin is maybe a little giggly but God, it's late, so late that Brian doesn't even try to push his knees apart or roll him over for a fuck, just winds their legs together and grinds his cock into Justin's hip.

Justin isn't even fully aware how hard he is until, oh yeah, his dick is trapped against Brian's lower belly and Brian is kissing him soundly, deeply, languidly. Brian's taller than he is, but so much of it is leg that they just... fit. Like this. Sliding and pressing together, Justin's arm tight around Brian's back and Brian's hand on his ass, legs locked, hips grinding, and it doesn't matter who started what and no one's really in control, anyway, they're just riding it out together. Justin comes first; he usually does and secretly he kinda likes it when that happens, when the last few seconds are just all about getting Brian off and tonight, holding him and humming softly in his ear as his breath hitches and he jerks against Justin's body. For a few minutes after, nothing else matters at all and they just lie there tangled and breathing, but then it occurs to Justin they really shouldn't fall asleep just yet.

"Mm. Messy."

Brian's lips twitch, and Justin knows this because their faces are so close together that he tastes Brian's every breath, including the quiet noise he makes just before he pulls away and reaches over the edge of the bed for a towel. And he knows, too, how soft and silly he sounds when he's this tired and he's come hard, but he can't bring himself to be annoyed at Brian's amusement, not now, not even when the swipe of cloth on his belly tickles a little laugh out of him and makes Brian grin. He snatches the towel away, which just amuses Brian that much more, and slides in close to him again to return the favor. Brian sighs a little and lets him, and then pulls Justin's back against his chest and kicks the covers up over them both. Those long legs again, Justin can never quite manage that the way Brian can.

Justin's almost out when Brian murmurs against the back of his neck, "How's your knee?"

"Mm? S'better." He feels Brian's hand moving in small, warm circles on his stomach, and catches it with his own. Brian's fingers shift, and wrap, and Justin tugs their hands up to his chest and smiles. "It's fine."


End file.
